Category Archives: Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

Feds: Chinese Traders Busted, Trading on Info “Hacked” from Law Firms via Email Compromise

A warning for law firms: Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said the case should serve as a “wake-up call for law firms around the world.” “You are and will be targets of cyber hacking, because you have information valuable to would-be criminals,” Bharara said in a statement. But …

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A Cybersecurity Night Before Christmas

My friend Paul Ferrillo (@PaulFerrillo) shared a cybersecurity version of the Night Before Christmas that I thought was brilliant. Wanting to be sure and properly credit this fine work, I asked Paul about attribution … since we can never be too confident in attribution, after all, yet it is critically important. Paul then confessed that it …

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Yahoo Discloses New Breach of 1 Billion User Accounts – This is Big!

Yahoo revealed new security issues affecting more than a billion users’ data, a theft that is separate and twice as large as the hack it disclosed earlier this year. Source: Yahoo Discloses New Breach of 1 Billion User Accounts – WSJ

Top 3 CFAA Takeaways from Facebook v. Power Ventures Case in Ninth Circuit

Here are my top 3 key Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) takeaways from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ Order and Amended Opinion issued on December 9, 2016 in Facebook, Inc. v. Power Ventures, Inc. 1.  A violation of the CFAA can occur when someone “has no permission to access a computer or when such permission …

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Is Key Claim Missing from Pastor’s Lawsuit Over Wife’s Nude Pics Emailed to Swinger Site?

Should a claim for [YOU GUESS] have been included in this lawsuit? See my thoughts below and share your thoughts. The Allegations Behind the Lawsuit A legal team led by Gloria Allred made news by suing Toyota (and others) on behalf of a Frisco, Texas pastor and his wife, Tim  and Claire Gautreaux, alleging that a …

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Invitation to the Cyber Future Summit – 10/28/16 at SMU’s Bush Center

Dear Friends & Colleagues, I want to invite you to attend the inaugural Cyber Future Summit, being held on Friday, October 28, at the Bush Presidential Library adjacent to the SMU campus in Dallas. We have a stellar lineup of speakers, including our luncheon Keynote Speaker, 4-Star Admiral Patrick Walsh, USN (Ret), who retired from …

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Yahoo Data Breach: US Senators Demand Answers – Still Think You Don’t Have to Disclose and Notify?

There is a grave and unfortunate misperception among many business leaders who believe that when their company has had a data breach, going through a response and notification of affected individuals is optional. To the educated readers of this blog, this sounds shocking. Sadly, it is something I see on a regular basis. What is worse …

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Hackers could get inside your BRAIN | Daily Mail Online

The University of Washington revealed how hackers could insert images into dodgy apps and recording the brain’s unintentional reaction using brain-computer interfaces. Source: Hackers could get inside your BRAIN | Daily Mail Online

Former Cardinals exec sentenced to prison for hacking Astros

HOUSTON (AP) — A federal judge sentenced the former scouting director of the St. Louis Cardinals to nearly four years in prison Monday for hacking the Houston Astros’ player personnel database and email system in an unusual case of high-tech cheating involving two Major League Baseball clubs. Source: Former Cardinals exec sentenced to prison for …

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The CFAA is for Access of a Computer, Not Mere Possession

It often said that the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), 18 U.S.C. § 1030, is an access crime — meaning that it is designed to punish the wrongful access of a device. A recent case out of the Northern District of Texas highlights this point. In Nicole Clarke-Smith v. Business Partners in Healthcare, LLC, 2016 WL …

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